Made 4 HIM

Made in HIS Image for HIS Glory

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Today was that day... warmer by far than this time of year should be. I was working at the fire department. Morning training -- EVOC (emergency vehicle operations course) power point lecture -- was cancelled due to technical details. (The inter-departmental comm system was... non-operational, to nobody's surprise – it has been marginally operational only half the time lately.)
That left the morning for cleaning the station, running an errand (out to repairman to switch out the battered

I swear I started this writing with an idea. A goal for a blog post. And... I stare at the blank page in front of me and wonder just WHAT I was thinking. Good grief, you're thinking. Didn't we just read a random bunch of thrown together thoughts a day or two ago? Umm... welcome to my life...?
Grinning. Well, here is my Twitter (and other places like it) Hilarity Collection, just for you.
I think this was re-tweeted under the heading of "Scots folk on Twitter are the best..." (And for the

Every time I get the chance to interact with RWB members, I am truly blessed. RWB stands for Red White and Blue. RWB is an organization that has a people-first mentality, and every single Eagle I've met seems to embody this. RWB is a veterans organization that promotes relationships within communities -- linking civilians with service men and women.
I met them through Triathlon related interests, and running... but one of the favorite "jokes" of RWB is "We don't just run" -- and they don't.

No, it isn't fall yet. Or Autumn, if you prefer that term. Yes, Starbucks has brought back the Pumpkin Spice Latte beverage of choice for all of those folks (okay, me too) who go wild for anything pumpkin flavored in the fall season... and yes, we did have a single day of tolerable, cool temperatures.
The weather even has been cool to chilly in the morning when I head to work. All of these things are vast improvements in my humble opinion. I don't like high heat and humidity. This summer,

As the D-Day Event has grown and changed over the years, I sometimes think fondly back to when it was smaller. And Thursday just... didn't really happen. And then we decided (or rather, the collective group of reenactors decided) that they wanted more things going on Friday... which meant that check-in had to happen on Thursday, as well as Friday.
Thursday has since become a busy day, full of set up challenges and tasks to be accomplished. Thankfully it isn't a day of the event, but the

Top 10 Ways to Take Care of Your EMT (or Medic)
Feed them. This should be self-evident, but seriously. Make sure your partner eats. Most likely they get hangry, cranky and upset when their blood sugar is low. It always helps to steer a fine line between "voice of reason" and "encouragement" if they are trying to watch what they eat. This rule could also be titled "snacks" -- keep them on hand all the time.
Make them laugh. This is a huge point. If you can make your partner laugh, the

It has been a while since I extolled the multiple virtues of coffee. Please allow me to rectify this as quickly as possible. Emphasis on as quickly as possible because I have approximately 25 minutes before I have to have 750 words down on a page. EEP!
So. Coffee.
I didn't always love coffee so very dearly, but I love it so very dearly now...
My mom always drank instant coffee when I was growing up. I knew how to make mom's coffee, and then at gas stations, she would drink cappucino and

Mother’s Day is a day we pause nationally to honor our moms. I wanted to do a spectacular post on Mother’s Day, something truly special to commemorate the moment. And as usual, I find myself staring at the computer, trying to pull words out of somewhere to say what I mean.
My mom is a generational anomaly. If you’ve ever heard the term “millennials” or “greatest generation”… Well. She was born at the very end of her generation, one of the youngest members in her family. Her parents were

Some smells you just can't get out of your nose. They are unmistakable and lingering, and not in a good way. As I helped my partner clean up the entire back of the medic this evening after a particularly nasty call involving projectile vomiting, I thought back to earlier this afternoon.
We were sitting in the medic, enjoying the breeze and the sunshine and the fresh air. There was a wonderful aroma of fresh cut grass wafting in my window. I started thinking about all the smells I love

A blog post devoted to the critical importance attached to a morning (night/afternoon/DAY) with coffee. Here is a poem.
I think today is going to be the day I write an entire blog post about coffee, and my consumption of coffee.
Several years ago, I was expounding upon this glorious topic... I still have it somewhere. Coffee, you must understand, is VERY important to my life.
Let's also clear up a common misconception about me: I CAN survive without coffee. I can. You might not want to

Today I was contemplating finding a niche for my blog. I feel that I write about so many different things, and I don't want to be limited by a set topic group. I am more than one thing as a person, and that carries over into my writing.
As a matter of fact... I am the girl who freaks out about outlines for stories, feeling the suffocation of creativity and the freedom to explore shriveling when I have to "nail down" something in writing.
So I sat down and tried to think of all the

Once again... I find myself under the gun. Today is a combination of work being busy at inopportune times (such as immediately after I walked in the door and until 10-something-PM) and trying to successfully complete the day's blogging challenge.
Today's challenge was to create a sign up "pop up" or something similar to start growing my readership... AND to create something to serve as an incentive to encourage people to sign up and follow my blog.
The second part was, by far, the easiest

A lot of my blog posts lately have been revolving around writing, EMS or... well... slightly involving physical activity. Or something random. But it has been pretty steadily writing and EMS. That wasn't planned, by the way.
This morning, I find myself pondering what on earth I could write about. It's a Saturday morning, but that means nothing in my line of work. I came off shift this morning from job #1 and I go to job #2 tonight for 12 hours. I get Sunday and Monday off, though! I love

I am a writer. By definition, I write. I could be writing articles, stories, poems, notes... anything. The act of getting words out of my brain is the act of writing. Sometimes it seems all I do is procrastinate. And by procrastinate, I mean distract myself and prepare myself to write.
A typical session of writing (when I don't have the LIGHTBULB moment) starts with me turning on my laptop. Then checking my phone to see if anyone posted something on Facebook. Then checking each of the 5

Today has been an EMS full-throttle kind of day. We nearly started the shift by taking the first call; as it was, we were a close second. After that, things began to blur just a bit.
My day started bright and early since I had to get fasting blood work done this morning. Fortunately, everything went like clock work and I was in and out in a minimum of time and fuss. I am now awaiting my lab results (but I'm not holding my breath).
I made it to work on time, and had just finished heating

Today I was thinking about things that bother me about the profession I work in (Fire and Emergency Medical Services). The list on any given day can be long and varied.
I've been in the Fire and EMS service for 10+ years. A lot has changed in that time. I have worked in a volunteer Fire and EMS organization, I have worked Private EMS, I have been part time on a "city" Fire Department running EMS, and I've worked for an all-EMS county service. I've grown comfortable with my skills and the set of

Made 4 Him

Made 4 Him is the blog I started this January, and I would like to welcome you to the adventure.

I have one goal: to carry the presence of Christ with me wherever I go, to reflect Christ in all I do, and worship Him with my life. I was made for a purpose, with a grand and glorious adventure ahead of me. I believe God gave us LIFE, and He intends us to have life to the FULL.

My purpose and goal in writing and hosting a blog is simply to glorify Him. Why do I write? Because that's what He created me to do. I can't NOT write.

Writing is the way I can share the things God is showing me, teaching me and encouraging me as I walk. Hebrews 10:23-25 comes to mind: "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." (ESV)

I want my writing to encourage others and build them up in Christ. As a writer, I am a signpost pointing back to Christ, always being ready to answer those who want to know more about the hope that I cling to.

I want every bit of my writing, from humor about EMS scenarios or sharing about my writing process to have that overarching theme -- my faith may not be defined and stated in each line, but it is part of the fabric of who I am, so much so that there can be no doubt about who I serve or where I stand.

My blog doesn't have a simple topic I am writing about, because life isn't simple. I'm not a machine that only can function and complete one task. He created me to be a writer, but He also has placed me in a position to serve Him as a paramedic and a firefighter. He is challenging me physically with running, swimming and biking. He has blessed me with opportunities to travel.

In the Old Testament it talks about the the words of God's commandments being on your heart, taught to your children... talked of as you sit at home, as you walk along the roads, when you rise up and when you lie down, written on your doorposts and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6) This is how my faith should be, and everything flows out as an extension of my faith.

My blog is about the journey and the adventure He is taking me on, the situations and people and lessons I am learning as I go.I believe writing should make a difference, be meaningful, to have a purpose. Sometimes, that purpose is simply to fulfill the calling placed on my life. It is a way to process and understand what He is sharing with me. It is a way for me to document the mile stones along my path in following Him, so I can look back and see where I have walked.

And at the end of the day... my hope and my passion is that everything in my life would glorify Christ.